Students at the School already are some of the first in the UK with access to AMD’s Radeon Pro WX7100 graphics cards

The NFTS will be strengthening its partnership with AMD further with the scholarship. Already, the School has been working to AMD to deliver VR projects as part of the School’s Bridges to Industry scheme. This has included an interactive and immersive VR experience using real-time rendered 3D computer graphics and a 360-degree video project.

Nik Powell, NFTS director said of the scholarship: “It is fantastic news that AMD is strengthening their exciting partnership with the School with a scholarship. Our students and recent graduates have fully embraced the challenge set by AMD to explore the worlds of VR and 360 video in new ways and we have some very innovative projects in development as a result. Blending the art of storytelling with the latest technologies is at the heart of the School’s philosophy with students on MA courses such as Games Design and Development working closely with other film and television making disciplines. The AMD scholarship is testament to this approach and we look forward to working together to harness even more creative potential in this area.”

As part of the partnership, students and recent alumni are also among the first in the UK to access AMD’s latest Radeon Pro WX7100 graphic cards, which can develop and drive VR experiences at a high fidelity level.

“Immersive technologies are having an enormous impact on entertainment and media, said Roy Taylor, CVP at AMD and chairman, BAFTA VR Advisory Group. Whilst VR and AR offer exiting possibilities they also pose challenges to the platform and the art form. At AMD, we have found inspiration from the energy and imagination working with NFTS. This is because the students and faculty are incredibly innovative and unafraid to break the norms of content creation. The VR work produced by NFTS students is an excellent example. Using complex software and hardware tools powered by AMD, NFTS students took on the challenge of a steep learning curve that they have obviously mastered – as the results speak for themselves”

Applications are open now until 6 July for the NFTS MA in Games Design & Development and the MA in Digital Effects. For more information on how to apply, please visit www.nfts.co.uk.